Fire Emblem: A mercenaries tale
by windrider37
Summary: When Roan is hired by Renais to help defend itself,he gets more than he bargained for. He must now decide whether he should continue valuing money over lives, or learn what it means to be alive.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Fall of Renais

Roan leaned against the throne in Castle Renais, watching as soldiers scurried in every direction. One soldier stopped by him and pointed at him.

" You can't do that! That's the kings throne! He'll have you thrown in a dungeon and-" he stopped as Roan glared at him , causing the soldier to quickly disappear down a passageway. Roan knew what was going to happen here. He'd seen it before. These soldiers, the king, everyone here…they were going to die at the hands of a merciless foe. Roan didn't care what happened to any of them, as long as he had his money.

Roan felt the scar over his eye as his mind wandered back to that day when he had lost everything... that day he had lost his friend, and almost his will to live. Roan was shaken back to reality as a ballista bolt sailed through a window, killing several soldiers. A knight came rushing into the throne room, and skidded to a halt before King Fado.

"Sir, the enemy has breached the castle. The garrison had fallen . We have lost contact with Ephraim's troops and can expect no aid. What are we to do?" the soldier asked, fearing the answer.

"What else can we do? Tell the men to lay down their arms." Fado said, and turned towards General Seth. "Seth, Take Eirika and flee. You must escape the castle. Roan, you wait here. I have an order for you." Fado said, standing up.

Seth swept a protesting Eirika onto his horse and quickly left the throne room. Roan watched them go, waiting for his orders as shouting filled the castle. "Roan, I want you to follow Seth and Eirika to Frelia and make sure they get there safely. I have already paid you so go! If the soldiers find you, they will tear you apart!" Fado said. Roan smirked as he walked out of the throne room. _As if any soldier would be a match for me._ He thought.

Roan emerged outside castle Renais, sword dripping blood, to see Seth fleeing from a Wyvern knight. Roan assumed that they were being chased , so he decided to step in. It was part of his contract, wasn't it? "Hey you there! If you want a fight, then face me! Come on you big coward!" Roan roared at the Wyvern knight.

The man turned towards Roan, looking like Christmas had come early. "Well now! Another fool has come to give up his life for my blade!" The man laughed, making Roan grip his sword tighter.

"General Valter! Should we deal with this pest?" One of Valters men asked.

"No, I will deal with this. His man might be the challenge I've been looking for! I hope your ready to die!' Valter laughed again, then darted towards Roan. Roan dove out of the way, then attacked Valter. After a few minutes of fighting, Roan knew he couldn't beat Valter. He was just too skilled. Roan was simply trying to buy Seth time to get to Frelia at this point. Roan heard a clattering behind him, and turned to see a spear flying towards him. He knocked it out of the way with his sword, and before he could move he was grabbed by Valters Wyvern and lifted into the sky.

He squirmed and tried to stab the wyvern, but it was no good. He couldn't break free. After 20 minutes of struggling , Roan finally roared out of frustration, "Damn it Valter! Let me go!"

If that is what you wish, then so be it." Valter said, grinning wickedly. The wyverns claws opened, and suddenly he was free falling towards the forest below.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Roan 's mind raced as he fell towards the ground at an alarming speed. He cursed until he had no breath left and knew he had one chance…he would have to rely on the trees below and pray he didn't break his neck. He spread his arms and legs out to slow his fall, and tried to rid his mind of an image of a body print in the ground. As he neared the treeline, he gripped his sword tightly and hoped he could use it to stop his fall.

Roan touched the very top branches as he tensed up his body, waiting for the hit. Roan curled into a ball as he crashed through the branches. He hit several large branches, and crashed through the rest. As he neared the ground, Roan twisted in midair and dug his sword into a tree, hoping it would stop him. It didn't. His left arm twisted and broke as his momentum carried his towards the ground. He crashed in to ground, feeling something in his chest crack. He tumbled for about a minute before he came to a stop against a tree trunk.

Roan came to a few hours later. He swore as pain wracked his body, especially his arm and chest. He sat there with pain coursing through him, trying to remembered what happened. It all cam rushing back to him, when he glanced at a distant tree and saw his sword stuck in it. Despite being injured and stuck in the idle of nowhere with no food or water, Roan couldn't help but laugh. His chest burned as he did so, but he didn't care! Valter had tried to kill him, but failed!

_Ha! Valter, you made the biggest mistake of your life! Because when I find you, I will make sure that I kill you! _Roan though savagely. He slowly got to his feet, careful not to move his broken arm. He found a medium sized piece of wood, and broke it until it was arms length. He then tore a long piece of fabric from his now destroyed coat, as well as a much smaller one. He sat down against the tree his sword was stuff in and stuffed the cloth into his mouth. He griped his broken arm, which was hanging at an odd angle, took a deep breath, and pulled. His scream of pain was muffled by the cloth in his mouth as his arm moved back to where it should be. He quickly tied the piece of wood to his arm to act as a makeshift splint, and in a few minutes he was done. He took several deep breathes as pain still wracked his arm, though not nearly as badly.

Roan grinned as he remembered his friend teaching this to him. _Reilan, finally I can thank you for showing me this…I would be in a lot of trouble if it weren't for you._ Roan thought as he got to his feet. He looked up at his sword that was still stuck in the tree and decided to forget about it. There was no way that he was climbing up there with a broken arm. He reached for his spare short sword and found it was missing. He cursed his luck as he realized that it must have been ripped off his belt during his fall through the trees. Roan pulled out his dagger and made his way through the woods. He didn't have a particular location he wanted to go to, just that he needed to find water so he could camp for the night.

Roan trekked through the darkening woods , hoping he would find some kind of water before it got too dark. He was about to plop himself next to a tree when he spotted what appeared to be a small pond. He eagerly ran to the pond and knelt down, using his hand as a cup for the water. As he drank, Roan noticed the water tasted weird. He peered down into the water searching for the source, and at the very bottom, he could make out a form. Was it… a human body?

Roan moved his face closer to the water trying to see in the waning light what the object was . It was indeed a body, and as Roan was examining it, the body …_moved!_ Before Roan could pull his face back, the body leapt toward him, and the next thing he knew, Roan felt razor sharp claws rake the side of his face, causing him to fall backward. Stifling groans of pain, he looked up at his attacker and felt a chill creep through his body…one he hadn't felt since the day his friend died.

The body was that of a long dead man, flesh rotting in many places, and its face…Roan shuddered. It was like something out those ancient texts about monsters…. Roan rolled to his feet, being careful of his arm. He circled the creature trying to provoke it into making the first move. Roan felt the blood pouring down his face and was beginning to feel lightheaded, so he knew he had to finish this quickly. He creature lunged toward Roan, giving him the chance he needed. Roan dodge to the side and stabbed the thing in the back. He kicked it a few time, pushing it back towards the water, then spun the apparently dazed zombie thing around and stabbed it in the forehead. The creature swayed for a moment, the fell into the pond with an echoing splash.

Roan watched the body for a moment to make sure it was dead, then pushed a hand against his face, trying to stem the bleeding. It was too much, and Roan collapsed to the ground, gritting his teeth as his vision faded. _I will not die…I will not die…I will not…. _His mind went blank as he passed out.

Roan awoke to find himself in a house. He was dressed in clean clothes that were oddly comfortable, and he notice his long sword was leaning against the wall next to him. He was sore, that was for sure. He examined his chest and found that it barely hurt, and was wrapped heavily in bandages.. His left arm was also wrapped in a much more sturdy splint. His face was also bandaged, all three deep cuts bandaged. Who the hell had done this? Roan slowly got to his feet, wincing when his chest hurt. He decided to wait until his mysterious savior appeared before he left. It was a mercenary's honor that dictated that he must thank whoever saved his life.

Roan wandered to a small bookshelf and checked out the titles, trying to keep himself busy until the owner returned. One book caught his eye. He pulled it out and flipped through, realizing that it was a book about ancient demons. He sat down on the bed and searched, looking for the thing that had attacked him last night. He stopped on a picture of a similar looking zombie creature. _"The Revenant, vanguard of the Demon king. It is an undead abomination that served the Demon King during the great war many years ago."_

So that thing…was a revenant? How could that be? Those demons are supposed to be long gone, thanks to the Sacred Stones…had something happened to them? Roan was thinking about all this when someone walked in the door, hood and cloak soaked by the pouring rain outside. Roan moved his hand toward his dagger, in case this person was hostile. The person shut the door and removed her hood, revealing indigo hair. Roan's jaw dropped when the person removed her cloak revealing a girl with…_dragon wings? _

Roan watched as the girl hung her hood and cloak on a hook on the wall and walked over to him, stopping in front of him. "Hello. I'm glad to see that your alright. My name is Myrrh. What is yours?" The girl asked.

Roan released his grip on the dagger as he realized that the girl meant him no harm, but was still cautious nonetheless. This girl had dragon wings , so that meant she wasn't normal. "I'm Roan. How did I get here? And where am I?" Roan asked. If he could find out where he was, he could formulate a plan of action to get back at Valter. He knew that he had been hired to protect Seth and Eirika, but they were on the other side of the continent. That couldn't be helped.

He was taken by surprise as Myrrh began checking his bandages and his splint, and nearly swore as Myrrh moved his arm the wrong way. He stopped himself, trying to keep his temper under control for the sake of the girl kind enough to treat his wounds. She finished up and sat down next to Roan on the bed. "Well, you are in Darkling woods, next to the theocracy of Rausten. I found you while I was out gathering food. You were badly hurt, and brought you back here. I even got your sword from out of the tree it was stuck in. I thought that you had fallen out of the sky, the way your sword was stuck there!" Myrrh said, smiling.

Roan smirked as he thought about it. "Well, you could say that…." Roan said quietly. He got to his feet and belted on his sword, and Myrrh grabbed his arm.

"Where are you going? You can't leave! It dark and stormy out there, and your hurt too. You'll die out there!" Myrrh said shocked. "Besides, I want you to come with me." She said solemnly, catching Roan by surprise.

"And what would you need me for?" Roan asked, suspicious. If this girl indeed was a dragon, there was no need to protect her. She could rip apart anything that stood in her way.

" There is an evil power flowing out of the South. I…I need to stop it." She said quietly. Roan thought about it. He had to repay her somehow. Roan had thrown a fit earlier when he realized his money was missing along with his sword, as he knew that no money meant no food. Roan decided to go with her, at least until they got out of the forest. Then he could hunt down that snake Valter.

" I guess I can escort you out of the forest. Then I have to go my own way. Understand?" Roan asked, not wanting to make her turn into a dragon and eat him.

"Ok then. Tomorrow we will leave when my friend gets here. Good night."Myrrh said before blowing out a candle and walking towards a doorway.

"Hey Myrrh?" Roan asked, causing her to stop.

"Yes?" She asked.

"Are you…a dragon?" He asked.

"Yes. Is there something wrong?" Myrrh asked, sounding nervous.

"No, not at all. Good night Myrrh." Roan rolled over and thought about the last few days. He'd fought Valter, fell out of the sky, survived it, fought a revenant with a knife and survived it, then met a dragon, who saved his life. He wasn't sure whether to consider himself lucky or cursed .


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Roan had gathered his belongings together and was ready to get going the next morning…Myrrh on the other hand, was not. She insisted that they wait for her friend to show up before they left, leaving Roan in a slightly bad mood. He wanted to get out of there and find Valter as quickly as possible. Roan had seated himself by the door, thinking about the past week's events. He ran his hands through his dark blue hair, thinking about why the war had started. He couldn't care about the war, as long as it didn't affect his paycheck. He was just curious as to why Grado would invade at such a time of peace. His thoughts were interrupted once again when a man in tan robes walked in the door.

"Hello, Great Dragon. I'm ready to depart." He stopped when he notice Roan sitting there. "Oh, who might this be?" He asked Myrrh.

" This is Roan. I found him lying hurt in the forest, and brought him back here. I think he fell out of the sky…." Myrrh said, smiling at the thought.

"Hmmm. What were you doing out in the forest? Darkling woods can be a dangerous place." The man said, shutting the door behind him.

"You could say a creep named Valter Picked me up and dropped me out of the sky. I guess I learned to fly." Roan laughed humorlessly.

"Saleh, he is going to come with us for a while. Is this ok with you?" Myrrh asked the man. However, Saleh was distracted by what Roan had said.

" Valter attacked you? And he dropped you out of the sky? How did you survive? You shouldn't be alive!" Saleh said in a mix of shock, and being impressed.

"Heh, Valter's gonna regret not making sure I was dead. I'm going to hunt him down if it takes me forever. Now, may we go? I have no wish to be here any longer." Roan said with finality in his voice. He picked up his long sword and walked out the door.

The small group traveled through Darkling woods, making fast progress. Myrrh and Saleh were talking, while Ran traveled in silence. Talking led to friend ship, and friendship led to suffering. He had no friends, only comrades. The men he had trained with. Comrades, nothing more. If you had friends, you had to take unnecessary risks. They die, your heart gets torn in half. Roan had experienced that once, he had no desire to go through that again.

As they traveled, Roan was examining the forest watching for signs of trouble. As they walked, the air began to grow chill and a fog began to descend upon the small group. "Everyone stick together! Something's not right!" Roan called to Saleh and Myrrh. There was silence as Roan listened for a response .

Suddenly, a scream broke the silence as Saleh shouted something. There was a boom that signaled magic, and Roan was about to run towards it when something lunged out of the fog at him. Roan jumped backwards, drawing his sword as he did so. A revenant stood in front of him, slowly making its way towards him. Roan smirked as he twirled the sword. This was different now. He knew what these thing were capable of, and now he could exploit their weakness. The Revenant lunged at him again, but Roan was ready. He ducked under the revenants claws as he swung his sword, cutting the creature clean in half. His chest twinged as he stood up, making him wince. He had to be more careful. He was gonna hurt himself if he overexerted his injuries.

Roan sprinted through the thickening fog, searching for Myrrh and Saleh, when a sword slashed out of the fog , slashing his broken arm. Cursing at the top of his lungs from pain, Roan swung his sword and killed whatever it was that hit him. He edged up t the remains of his attacker and saw that it was a skeleton, gripping a rusty sword. Roan would think about that later. For now, he would concentrate on staying alive.

Roan gripped his bleeding arm, cursing under his breath as he ran .The mercenary stopped at a tree and listened, hoping to hear something. Footsteps were running towards him, causing Roan to release his arm and draw his sword again . He realized that they were light and quick, not slow and heavy like a revenant. He was about to tackle whatever it was when a girl crashed into him

"Myrrh? What happened? Where's Saleh?" Roan asked, then saw deep cuts on her arm. "Why didn't you turn into a dragon? You could have fried those creeps!" Roan said,

"I …don't like fighting…" Myrrh whispered, causing Roan to roll his eyes. Roan removed his splint and used the fabric to cover the cuts. "We have to find Saleh!" Myrrh said, but Roan shook his head.

"I'm not running around in this fog looking for him, not with these undead wandering around. He's a magic user, I'm sure he can handle himself. We need to get out of these woods. Come on, stay close behind me!" Roan said, and he set off, Myrrh staying close behind him. As the pair made their way through the forest, Roan prayed they were going in the right direction. They ran into a clearing where the fog was a little lighter and stopped. In the clearing were about five revenants and 3 skeletons.

"Myrrh, stay back. I can handle this." Roan said, twirling his sword. He was sure he could take them on if he was careful.

"But Roan! You're hurt! And I-" Myrrh started, but Roan cut her off.

"No, Myrrh. If you don't like to fight, leave this to me. I have some aggression I need to get off my chest anyway. Besides, I'm sure you will only get in the way." Roan said bluntly, rotating his sword arm ._This is going to be fun. _Roan thought as we walked forward.

He started running towards the undead, feeling the rush of battle take over him. Roan cut a revenant in half, and dodged a skeletons sword. He tossed his sword up in the air while he used a knife to deflect a another skeletons sword. He jumped up in the air , grabbed his sword, and brought it down on a skeletons head, shattering it. Roan spun around swinging his sworn, cutting a revenants head off. He stopped and looked around, catching his breath. His chest was starting to hurt, and there were still 3 revenants and two skeletons left. Roan pictures Valter's face on all of the creatures, took a deep breath, and charged forward .

Ten minutes later, nothing remained of the undead creatures. Roan was exhausted, and his chest was in extreme pain again. But he had taken his built up aggression out on them, and was feeling in a much better mood. He made his way back toward Myrrh who was standing there, looking horrified. "You could have really hurt yourself! Why didn't you let me finish them?" Myrrh asked, examining Roan's damaged arm.

"I needed to take out my anger on them , so I didn't take it out on you. So now, we should get going." Roan said, walking through the fog.

"Shouldn't we look for Saleh? He should be here somewhere." Myrrh said, but Roan had no plans to look for some guy he hardly knew.

"If he's out there, he'll find us. I have no desire to be in this forest any longer. So we are going." Roan said, and with that he set off, Myrrh behind him. He stopped for a moment to check Myrrh's bandages, then resumed walking.

_It's happening again. I'm getting attached to someone. I have to get away from her. Mercenary rule number 1 : never get attached to your clients. _Roan cursed to himself quietly and decided to consider himself cursed after all.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Roan decided that they should camp in a field, so he could see any incoming threats. He made a fire, and he and Myrrh sat around it. Roan was thinking about what those monsters meant, while Myrrh was reading a book quietly. When Roan saw the cover of the book, a horrible realization hit him.

"Myrrh, may I see that book? I wish to check something." Roan asked. Myrrh handed him the book and Roan rapidly flipped through it until he found the pictures of the various monsters. "Bonewalkers, Revenants, we fought all these! Do you think…."Roans voice trailed off as he thought out what this could mean.

"There is an evil power flowing out of the south. I am going there to stop it. I won't ask you to bother yourself anymore, since you've already done so much for me." Myrrh said, staring into the fire. Roan felt slightly guilty about letting this girl travel on her own, then cursed himself. This girl was a dragon! She could obliterate anything that came near her! There was no need to escort her. He would take her to the next village, then he would go his own way. He laid down on the ground and rolled over, careful of his arm. He knew he had to get away from her….

"Roan? Myrrh asked, also laying down

"Hmmm?" Roan grunted

"Thank you for taking time to bring me here. I hope it wasn't too much of a bother." Myrrh said quietly Roan didn't respond, too wrapped up in the day's events. Soon, the both of them drifted off to sleep.

Roan awoke the next morning to heavy armored footsteps close by. He cracked one of his eyes and saw a red clad Grado soldiers walking towards him. Roan stayed still, knowing that if he could fool this guy into believing that he was asleep, he could kill him without much trouble.

"You there! Get up! Now! " The soldier commanded. Roan did not move. The soldier bent down to inspect him when Roan suddenly stabbed his dagger through one of the slits in the man's helm. The man fell sideways without a word. Roan jumped to his feet, drawing his sword as he did so.

"Myrrh! Get up! Grado's men are here!" Roan shouted, causing Myrrh to jump up, staggering from sleepiness. 'Listen, I know you don't like to fight, but if you don't this could be the end of us."Myrrh nodded her understanding as a legion of soldiers marched up to them.

"You there with the manakete. Put your hands up and hand her over!" The leading soldier ordered. Roan shook his head, holding his sword out in front of him. "Ha! You really think you can defeat us when your injured? You're a fool!" The man spat. Archers took aim at them, causing roan to tense up, ready to dive to the ground. He waited for the shots to be fired when arrows sailed from behind them right into the archers, slaying them. Roan took the opportunity to kill the man in front of him, causing the soldiers to scatter.

Roan looked backwards and saw Green clad Rausten knights charging across the field . Roan thanked the heavens for this distraction as Rausten and Grado clashed together in a mix of yelling and swords clanging.

Roan was cutting down Grado soldiers when a cavalier attempted to stab him with a lance. Roan knocked the man off his horse and stabbed him through the gut. He looked around for Myrrh in time to see her get hit with the flat side of a sword. Another man grabbed her small pouch that had been hanging on her side and pulled out a glowing yellow gemstone.

Roan realized that must have been Myrrh's dragonstone. He had read in a book that this was what allowed manaketes to turn into dragons. " LEAVE HER ALONE!" Roan roared, throwing his sword at the soldiers. It impaled a man in the face, sending him falling backwards. The other men grabbed Myrrh and dragged her away into the mass of fighting soldiers. "God damn it!" Roan swore as he charges into the soldiers, pulling his sword out of the fallen soldier as he went.

A few minutes later, Roan spotted a cart a little ways away from the fighting. Myrrh was being shoved into a cage loaded on it. A squad of soldiers stood guard, as well as a man that Roan had once known. Roan's chest was searing, which was a sign that he was overworking himself

"Caellach, let her go!" Roan shouted, causing Caellach to turn around in surprise. Roan had once worked with Caellach as a merc , but not for too long. Caellach was extremely ambitious, too much so for Roan. He would keep going on about how he wanted to be a king or something stupid like that, so he left to go his own way.

"Ah Roan! Long time no see ! What have you been doing all this time?" Caellach asked Roan, ignoring Roan's demands.

"Not complaining about not being a king, that's for sure. Now let her go!" Roan growled. Caellach smirk as he turned his back to Roan.

"Ha! If you want to fight me, too bad! You aren't even worth my time. You're crippled and there's no way you could beat me anyway. Men, take care of him." Caellach said, walking away. He stopped when he heard the soldiers shouting and screaming and then complete silence. Most of Grado's soldiers were retreating, so Caellach was doing the same. He slowly turned around to see Roan covered in blood, all the men slain.

"_Never turn your back on me Caellach!"_ Growled savagely. Caellach looked slightly impressed as he drew his sword. Roan's chest was seared with pain as he coughed violently into his hand, and when he withdrew it he saw blood. Not good. He was more messed up than he thought. He had to end this quickly before he ended up dead.

Caellach made a hand movement to the other soldiers, who were waiting for orders. They began riding off with Myrrh in the cage, quickly disappearing into the woods. Roan would deal with Caellach, then go after them. "I hope your ready to die!" With that, Caellach leaped forward, swinging his sword. Roan moved to block it when the blow rattled his arm. He was surprised at how much stronger Caellach had become, but was not about to give up yet. He ducked and parried, remembering Caellach's fighting style.

After a few short minutes, Roan knew that he could not win with only one arm. He was in enough pain to make him kneel over, but he couldn't with Caellach constantly attacking him. He had to end this. Roan swung at Caellach's head hoping to put an end to the battle when Caellach twirled his sword then smashed it against Roan's with so much Force that Roan's sword broke . Roan fell backwards as the shock of the hit traveled through the hilt of his sword and into his arm.

Before Roan could make a move, he felt cold steel touch his neck. Roan froze, knowing that If he wanted to, Caellach could take his head off. "Is this all you were capable of? I must say I'm disappointed. I expected more from someone who has a hatred for the Grado Empire." Caellach smirked as Roan gritted his teeth. Between the insane pain in his chest and the arrogant man in front of him, Roan wasn't sure which one was making him angrier. He was waiting for Caellach to make a wrong move when a thunderbolt sailed out of nowhere, causing Caellach to dive to the side.

Roan crawled to a fallen soldiers sword and grabbed it. He turned to see Caellach fleeing into the woods while thunder bolts were raining around him. Roan staggered to his feet, only to see Saleh hurrying towards him. _Ugh. How ironic that he shows up to save me. _Roan though sourly. Saleh stopped in front of the battered mercenary, looking concerned.

"What on earth happened to you? You're a wreck! Plus your lucky I showed up, because Caellach would have killed you! That man is-"Saleh was cut off as Roan gave him a murderous look.

"I know very well what that man is .I used to work with him. Why do you think I left him?" Roan said quietly. Saleh looked around, then a horrified look crossed his face.

"Where is the Great Dragon? What has happened to her?" Saleh asked him, worried.

"Grado took her. And I'm going to get her back. Roan said shortly. He slowly made his way to a soldiers abandoned horse while Saleh thought about this.

"Which way did they go?"Saleh asked Roan, who was gathering fallen supplies and rations from the dead soldiers.

"Use your head. Where would they be going?" Roan said, finally climbing onto the horse with extreme difficulty.

"Down south. Okay. I will search Grado for her. Where will you look?" Saleh asked.

"I am going to Jehanna desert to see if she might have been sold to slave traders. I am going now before Rausten reinforcements get here ask start asking me questions."

"I guess you want payment right? I know how you mercenaries work." He pulled out a small bag that couldn't of had more than 50 coins in it. "Here, take it. It's not much, but it's all I got." Saleh said, holding it out.

Roan fought against his every instinct to take the money. Right now, that dragon is grado's hands, partially because of him. If he hadn't left Saleh in the woods, they might not have been stuck in that battle at all.

"You know what? Keep your money. It's not enough to be of any use to me." Roan said, feeling grumpy. He was going soft, damn it! A month ago he would have never refused money!

"I knew there was a spark of decency inside of you, my friend. Are you sure you're going to be alright?" Saleh asked.

" Yeah, I'll be fine. See you around." With that , Roan rode off into the forest, quickly disappearing.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Roan stared from atop a hill with horror at the burning village. Everything was ablaze. Not even the well in the center of the village was spared. Roan gripped his sword as he rushed into the village, praying that no one had been killed. Why did this happen? What was going on? Who was behind this?

As he entered the village, he skidded to a stop. The village was completely empty. No noise except for the crackling of flames. What in blazes…. Roan spun around as a loud crash sounded from one of the flaming houses. He stared as a large figure emerged from the flames.

Roan watched in horror as a hulking man holding two massive axes slowly walked towards Roan, his face hidden by a black scarred helmet. Similar black scarred plate legs and plate body covered the man's hulking figure. He laughed as he saw Roan standing there. He lifted the huge axes and charged, laughing as he did so.

Roan couldn't move. He was paralyzed with fear. Why now? He wasn't afraid of anything! He could only watch as the swung both axes towards Roan's head. As the axes neared their mark, all the flames extinguished. Everything disappeared so that Roan and the man were in complete darkness. Roan saw the man's eyes through the helmet and knew he was going to die….

"NOOOOOOO!" Roan screamed as he shot upright, whipping out his knife as he did so. There was no one there. The forest was quiet, save for the crickets. Roan sighed when he realized that it had been a nightmare. He held his head in his hands and felt his face was wet. Had he been crying? Why? Roan furiously brushed away the tears. He had a job to do, and he wasn't about to let his emotions get in the way. Myrrh getting captured was his fault. He was tough hearted, but cruel. He wasn't going to leave Myrrh to the mercy of those Grado soldiers.

Roan looked to the sky to try to tell what time it was. It seemed to be an hour before sunrise. Roan tightened the bandages on his chest, then proceeded to clean up his campsite. Soon, he was ready to go. He climbed into the saddle with a bit more grace this time He rode off through the woods, careful to keep his head down. He was almost to the desert, so he needed to make a stop before he entered.

It was midday when Roan came to a village on the outskirts of the desert. He immediately made his way to the general shop. Roan had found some money on one of the dead soldiers, so he took it. He purchased a head wrap to protect against the heat, as well as a waterskin. When he was finished, Roan set out into the desert, half hoping that he ran into slave traders. He might get a lead on where Myrrh could be.

Roan traveled for the rest of the day and into the night. He was about to settle down for the night when he saw what appeared to be a settlement, with a bonfire in the middle. It took Roan a second to realize that that was the mercenary base he used to train at. His commander would be there, so he decided to head there and see if any of his comrades were there.

About ten minutes later Roan rode into the camp, to be greeted by stares. One guy with blue hair and whispered to the pink haired girl next to him, "Who is that? Doesn't look like anyone we know."

The man with the wrapped up face slowly walked towards the fire, keeping his head down. He quietly walked to the fire and stood there, not saying a word. "Where can I find Gerik?" The man asked.

"Why? Who are you?" The blue haired guy asked sharply, placing a hand on his large bow that had been sitting next to him.

"Someone you know." He said, proceeding to pull the headwrap off. The young man's face lit up when he saw it was Roan, though he winced when he saw the bandage on his face.

"Roan! How's it been? We haven't seen you in so long!" The young man said, jumping to his feet. Roan couldn't help but smile. This guy, Luther, was so jolly it was contagious. The girl he had been sitting next to, Kira, smiled also. The three of them were from the same village, so they were the only friends Roan had. These were the only people in the world that Roan felt comfortable being around. He would do anything for them.

"What the hell did you do? You looked like you were attacked by a giant cat!"Kira grimaced, while Luther laughed. As she said this, a man emerged from a nearby tent . Roan watched as a Man with a purple bandana stepped into the fire light. "It looks to be a bit more than a giant cat. Roan, what the hell did you do to yourself now?" The man asked grinning.

"Ah, Gerik. Just the guy I wanted to see. You are right though, it was a bit more than I giant cat."Roan grinned humorlessly.

"So. You gonna tell us what happened?" Gerik asked, eyeing Roans bandages.

"Well, if you insist…"Roan sighed.

An hour later, the band of mercenaries sat there, surprised at the tale the Roan had just told them. Luther was smiling slightly for some odd reason, while Kira looked troubled. Gerik, on the other hand, looked impressed.

"So, you had a run-in with a Grado general, fought some weird creatures, then had a fight with Caellach? Man, you've gotta pick your jobs more carefully." Luther said grinning. "We believe you on the monsters only because we had a skirmish with them a few day ago. If Gerik hadn't been there, we would've been done for. He saved us, and that's how we ended up as mercs." Luther finished.

"The thing that worries me is that we had seen a group of Grado soldiers moving west, out of the desert. It looked like they were transporting something…or someone. Think they might be your guys?" Kira asked.

"Gotta be. Tomorrow I'll resume my hunt, and catch up to them."Roan said, pulling out his sword and stabbing it into the sand.

"You can't! Not in that condition. You'll simply be an easy target for the soldiers!" Luther said shocked. "I'm amazed that your alive right now! Taking on Caellach with a broken arm…what the HELL were you thinking?" Luther asked.

"I had to settle things with him…plus he took Myrrh. He can't be forgiven." Roan said.

"If you plan on going after them, you'll need to be at your best. I have just the thing for you." Kira said, disappearing into a tent. She later emerged with a staff in her hand. " Now hold still, and you'll be all fixed. Kira said, raising up the staff. Roan felt a strange sensation as a blue glow surrounded him move through his body. His chest stopped hurting, and his arm also. The blue glow faded as Kira smiled.

"Well? How do you feel?" Kira asked. Roan pulled off the sling his arm had been in and moved it. It was stiff, but no longer broken. He was suddenly glad that he had convinced Kira to learn magic instead of using weapons. "He voiced this out, which caused Kira to glow with pride.

"I advanced to the title of sage a few weeks ago. I'm much better at magic now than when you left." Kira said proudly.

"And I have been honing my sniper skills so that I can actually be useful. You're not the only one who can fight now, Roan." Luther said grinning again.

"well I have to catch some sleep. I gotta leave early in the morning if I'm going to catch up to Grado." Roan said, standing up and stretching his stiff arm.

"Are you sure we can't persuade you? What your doing is suicide, you know that right?" Gerik said, though he knew that what he said was pointless. When Roan said he was going to do something, he usually stuck to it.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Hey, where's Tethys by the way? Shouldn't she be here?" Roan asked, just noticing that she was not there.

"She went to a nearby village earlier to get supplies. She will be back by tomorrow." Gerik said.

"By then, I will most likely be gone. Well, good night." Roan said. He quickly unpacked a bedroll from his horse and laid down, quickly falling asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Roan awoke the next morning to the cool desert air. He washed up, then began saddling up his horse for the trip ahead. "And where do you think you're going?" A voice said. Roan spun around to see Luther standing there, his equipment all packed and ready to go.

"I'm going after Grado, What are you doing up so early?" Roan asked him, going back to his work.

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm going with you. I haven't had the chance to travel with you in a very long time. Plus I want to help you. I know you're going to need it" Luther said grinning. Roan smiled, he couldn't help it. He knew it would be nice to have some company on his trip.

"You can't forget about me!" Kira said, dressed in Blood red sage robes. She had a thunder tome in one hand, a staff in the other. She smiled as she walked up to Roan, Luther following. Roan sighed as his friends stood by as he finished up.

"This isn't going to be a picnic you know. We're chasing the largest army in the land. Are you absolutely sure you want to go?" Roan asked seriously. Luther grinned, shaking his head.

"You should know the answer to that. Come on, let's go before the sun comes up. I don't want to crisp before we get out of this desert."He said. Kira nodded her agreement, and the small group of mercenaries left the camp. Roan's heart felt lighter than it had in weeks, due mostly to the fact he was with his friends again.

Roan , Luther, and Kira had been traveling for a few days when they came to a large village on the edge of the desert. After a quick discussion, it was decided that they needed supplies and they would stop in for a day or two to rest. The hot desert had taken its toll on Kira and Luther, who weren't as used to it as Roan was.

Roan and his group entered the village only to see very few people out and about. The few that were out scurried about as if war was going to sweep into the village and destroy it. The group wandered, looking for an open store when a man came hurrying up to them.

"Hello? You aren't slavers, are you? Please tell me you're not slavers…." The man said, practically begging.

"No, we're not slavers. Why, what's wrong? There's no one here…at least, no one outside. " Luther said, making the man sigh with relief.

"Well, are you mercenaries? You look like it. Well, I have a request for you." The man asked. He obviously had to be the mayor of this village, to address Roan like this.

"Well, we are mercenaries. What are you willing to pay us, and what is the job?" Roan asked.

"I need you to drive off some slavers that have been terrorizing this village. Please, you must help us!"The man said desperately. Roan turned away to discuss what they should do.

"We can't afford to stop if we're trying to catch up with Myrrh. I say we keep going." Roan said quietly

"But we need money to buy food too. I say we take whatever job this guy offers us." Luther said. Making the mayor sigh with relief.

"Ok! We can discuss your payment afterwards, should we still be alive…."He trailed off. Roan glared at him, until the mayor spoke up again. "Ok. What we need you to do is to protect us form some slavers that have been harassing us for some time now. Please, help us! We will do whatever you require of us!" The mayor pleaded, causing Roan to suddenly pull out his sword.

"Well, it can't be too hard. When do these slavers usually show up?" Roan asked.

"At night, when they have the advantage. They keep trying to kidnap the girl from the village, stating the have the right to take whatever they want! If you defeat them, they most likely will be to afraid to come back." The mayor said, sounding hopeful.

"Ok. We'll take the job. However, you need to supply us with whatever we need. Deal?" Roan stated, holding out his hand. The mayor shook it, then hurried off to inform the rest of the village of what had transpired. Roan turned to his two companions who were waiting to hear what they had to do.

"Ok! Luther, you go and round up whatever few warriors this village has. Kira, go and begin getting a few of the village girls together. This may be a bit risky, but it will work perfectly if all goes well. Lets get to it!" Roan said, and his two friends disappeared to fulfill their tasks. Roan himself cracked his knuckles as he gathered materials for traps. He was in an exceptionally good mood, for he was back to doing what he did best: Preparing to fight against a numerically greater enemy and win.

Hours later, night had fallen, and everything was in place. Several girls from the village were standing in the village square, including the mayor's daughter. Luther and another archer were posted on lookout towers, lying down so they weren't seen. Roan and Kira were lying on the flat rooftops be the center of the square, waiting for the mayor to give the signal. Several of the village warriors were hidden in nearby houses, also waiting for the signal.

By the information Roan had gathered, he estimated that there were roughly 25 slavers…while they had the advantage of numbers, Roan had the advantage of skilled fighters. It all came down to whether they stayed and fought, or fled like cowards. If the men fled…then this fight could quickly get ugly.

Roan watched as Luther signaled him, meaning that the slavers were coming. Everyone was tense as a bunch of rough looking men leading a cart entered the village, quickly making their way towards the square. It was extremely crucial that the mayor play off a lie that he was handing over the girls, and nothing else. It he turned tail and ran….well, then Roan would leave, no question. He refused to work for an employer who was too scared to stand up for himself or others.

"Well, it looks like your finally ready to give in." one slaver, presumably the leader, hissed.

"Yes, they're all here. Please, just leave. I beg of you!" the mayor begged, while the slaver laughed.

"Naw, these pretties are just too good to pass up. Take 'em lads! Throw 'em in the cart!" The man shouted, while the mayor nearly shouted.

"PLEASE, I BEG OF YOU! DON'T TAKE THEM!"

The slaver gave the mayor a funny look. "What are ya, deaf?

That was the signal."No Your just stupid!" Roan roared, vaulting off the roof. He quickly cut down two men, while Kira killed a man with a bolt of thunder. Arrows flew from the towers where Luther and the other archer were posted, wounding more. The village rushed forward with a war cry, causing the slavers to scatter.

"What the hell is this! The damn man laid a trap! Grrr, fight them! Show them no mercy!" The lead slaver roared, but it was pointless. The slavers, caught completely off guard, had no chance to mount a resistance as the mercenaries and warriors cut them down. The lead slaver looked towards the girls, to see Roan ushering them into a house. He charged forward, yelling with fury. 

Roan looked up at the yell, to see the master slaver running towards him. The man was crazy! Roan shoved the last girl into the house and blocked the slavers axe, grinning. "You know, attacking someone with an axe isn't the smartest idea."He said, attacking the slaver.

Luther was firing off arrows when he saw Roan locked in battle with the lead slaver. He took aim as suddenly Roan fell to the ground. "Roan! No!" He shouted, taking aim at the slave who now stood over his friend.

The slaver stood over Roan triumphantly. Everyone stopped fighting, watching. Roan, on the other hand, was not dead. He had a close miss, but had decided to turn it to his advantage. He faked dead, while the slaver gloated. The slaver turned toward the two remaining slavers, as well as the warriors defending the village.

Roan took his chance. He jumped to his feet, plunging his sword into the man's back. The man stopped, stunned. Roan yanked the sword out and spun, the sword whistling as it flew through the air. Roan sliced the back of the mans neck, ensuring a complete kill. The man toppled forward, leaving Roan glaring towards the remaining slavers.

"Oi, he killed the boss! He's a demon! Run fer yer lives!" One slaver asked. The slaver fled, amid cheers from the emerging villagers. Roan flipped his sword into the air, caught it and sheathed it. Another contract completed!

An hour later, the dead slavers had been moved outside the village, while the mayor congratulated Roan.

"Nice work! You had me scared for a minute!" Luther said, beaming. Lira was smiling too.

"I must say, I'm impressed. Your plans never worked before." Kira said, as Roan made the mayor pay up.

"You forget, I've been away for a while. I have had plenty of time to hone my skills while I was gone. You have nothing to worry about."Roan smiled. He pocketed the money, then made his way towards an inn.

"We leave at noon. I suggest you get some sleep." Roan said, before disappearing inside the was happy that the village was saved, but now it was time to resume the hunt for Myrrh! He went to a bedroom, thinking about where she could be. nothing. got chapter 3 up on my story, and chapter 6 is about done for the fire emblem . got chapter 3 up on my story, and chapter 6 is about done for the fire emblem . got chapter 3 up on my story, and chapter 6 is about done for the fire emblem story.


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